Review: MOONSPELL “The Butt3rfly Effect” (reissue) [Napalm Records]

“… the market and the mentality of the people are changing, classic heavy metal in certain ways fading away and we are in certain ways at the end of the century. This modern kind of metal modern kin of music, luckily we had good timing with the right album for the right time.” 

Fernando Ribeiro interview in With Full Force Festival 1997

We all remember the notorious 90s; the glam bands according to the “media” were on its last dressed leopard skintight legs, traditional metal acts were thrown to the dumpster fire that were the Seattle scene and later the rises the short term retarded wicker man fire that was the rise of the nu metal scene.

In the middle of all that was the rising extreme metal subgenre just scratching their heads on what the hell are their bastard metal idols and scene turning into. Same went with Moonspell, although till then they already shown their musical versatility in a span of one year turning from a folk/black metal album Wolfheart into a pure gothic metal album that is Inreglious.

But their experimentation had just started.

Two years later Sin/Pecado hit the market and even more divided the fans with even softening their sound with added industrial/electronic element. You kinda have the feeling that the band have the “let’s see if we can get away with this” mentality.

Which in The Butterfly Effect case it may be so, but with the albums opener Soulsick it proves that the band, despite in experimentation side going in full swing, had not abandoned its aggression. It’s one of the bands heaviest tracks that they recorded in that time.

One thing that’s very obvious are Fernando’s vocals in the album; it’s definitely one most vicious vocal delivers which greatly reflects the albums chaotic vibe; from hypnotic ambient beats to nightmarish soundscapes with fluid transitions within and without.

Same goes for the lyrics which proves again that Fernando is a talented lyrist in many topics and themes, this time being chaos theory which gives great liberty and play with words. About the electronic elephant in the room; yes the album is quite electronic in its vibe and sound but it is the same band beneath it. Such is the evidence in songs like Cant Bee when the keyboards hits in the chorus or the heavy hitter like Lustmord.

But like in all such albums like these there are misses in this case are Adaptables and Selfabuse which are such fillers contrary to songs like Solitary Vice and Disappear Here that sound like that were taken from cool European neo noir movie end credits.

Not to mention the final track K which sounds like Pedro Paixãos leftover ideas and samples that did not make in the album.

Despite minor setbacks, The Butterfly Effect presents Moonspell‘s peak in experimentation, no restraints and no apologies by not sticking to the predictable formula. Because of this the band are what they are now: unique.

Release date: August 7th 2020

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